Israel Updates (SAMPLE)

A Visit With Shmuel: A Purim Celebration

We celebrated Purim last week and I filmed this on that day, in my own community of Zufim, enabling you to share my wonderful holiday with me. If you could not celebrate Purim in a Jewish community, then this is certainly the next best thing. Please join me as we celebrate Purim in Zufim.

A Visit With Shmuel: A Security Update from Judea & Samaria

This month, I decided to skip a community visit and, instead, share with you a personal insight into the deteriorating security situation in Judea and Samaria. I actually filmed this last week, during the holiday of Succot.

A Visit With Shmuel: Avigayil

Located in a predominantly barren region in the Hebron Hills, Avigayil is surrounded on all sides by hostile Arab villages, including the large city of Yatta. The community was established in 2001, during the height of the Second Intifada, by a small group of incredibly courageous pioneers committed to defending their Biblical inheritance.

A Visit With Shmuel: Bat Ayin

I traveled to the beautiful Judean Hills to visit Bat Ayin, a small, very spiritual community located among the rugged hills just outside Gush Etzion. This community was established with one goal in mind: to create a purely God-centered life in a natural environment, away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

A Visit With Shmuel: Bekaot

This month, I visited the community of Bekaot, a small agricultural moshav in the Jordan Valley, actually on the Samaria foothills just above the Jordan Valley. What a beautiful place!

A Visit With Shmuel: Bet Yatir

I am excited to introduce the first installment of my new series, A Visit with Shmuel, a virtual 360° look at Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Join me for an exclusive visit to Bet Yatir – a religious moshav in the Judean Desert, just south of Hebron

A Visit with Shmuel: Einav

I was supposed to go to Einav on Tu B’Shvat and film their tree-planting ceremony, sponsored by you, our CFOIC Heartland donors and friends. But then Israel was plunged into lockdown and my visit had to be cancelled. So when life opened up again, I took the first opportunity to visit Einav and it was a fabulous day indeed.

A Visit With Shmuel: Eshkolot

This is my first visit to Eshkolot in many years and it has grown in leaps and bounds. Of course, I would prefer to take you to Eshkolot in person and introduce you to these dedicated, wonderful pioneers. But until then, join me for this virtual tour and get a sense of this inspiring community in the Hebron Hills.

A Visit With Shmuel: Gevaot

In this episode, I drop by the village of Gevaot, a community of forty families in the hills of Gush Etzion. The people of Gevaot are truly modern-day pioneers who dedicate their lives to creating a thriving utopian community.

A Visit With Shmuel: Gitit

Join me as I visit Gitit and explore the stunning views and the challenges that have faced this community for years.

A Visit With Shmuel: Givat Hanan

Givat Hanan represents the pioneering spirit in Judea and Samaria. Two years ago, in response to the increasing number of Arabs encroaching on Jewish land in the area, eleven young families, dedicated to protecting the Jewish claim to the land of their ancestors established a new neighborhood of Sussya.

A Visit With Shmuel: Karnei Shomron

One of the things that distinguishes Nofei Nechemiah from so many other communities is the fact that it was established by young people who themselves had grown up in Judea and Samaria and wanted to continue the pioneering life-style and values of their parents.

A Visit With Shmuel: Kiryat Arba

This month, I visited the community of Kiryat Arba, one of the original Jewish communities in Judea, established just after the Six Day War.

A Visit With Shmuel: Migdalim

I love visiting the community of Migdalim. Boasting 360° of breathtaking views of the Samarian Hills, green agricultural lands, and the Jordan Valley, Migdalim has always captured my heart. Join me in this episode, as I visit Migdalim, a vibrant, growing community in Samaria, tagged as Samaria’s Capital for Young People.

A Visit With Shmuel: Netafim

Just before Israel celebrated its 75th Independence Day, I had the pleasure of visiting the community of Kiryat Netafim in Samaria. As we drove through the neighborhoods, I encountered a heartwarming display of the residents’ pride and love for their homeland, as every balcony was adorned with Israeli flags and blue and white garlands.

A Visit With Shmuel: Nofei Nehemiah

A Visit With Shmuel: Ofra

This month, I visited the community of Ofra, one of the original Jewish communities in Samaria. In 1975, a group of idealistic pioneers, eager to settle in Samaria but consistently thwarted by the Israeli Government’s then anti-settlement policy, heard that an IDF base was looking for civilian workers to construct a fence. They saw an opportunity and applied for the jobs.

A Visit With Shmuel: Otniel

The people of Otniel are united in their dedication to Biblical values and Bible study, with a large number of residents working as educators in several local Bible institutions and raising the next generation of religious pioneers.

A Visit With Shmuel: Rechalim

Rechalim represents to me, more than anything else, is incredible bravery in the face of enormous security challenges. In this film, I show how Arab homes are located so close to the local kindergarten and how a concrete wall had to be erected to protect the children from Arab snipers.